What sort of ethics do you subscribe to?

[ciphergoth]

Does the right thing to do depend only on the consequences, or are some acts inherently right or wrong no matter what likely consequences follow?

From Wikipedia:

Deontological ethics or deontology (Greek: δέον (deon) meaning 'obligation' or 'duty') is an approach to ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves, as opposed to the rightness or wrongness of the consequences of those actions.

Consequentialism refers to those moral theories which hold that the consequences of a particular action form the basis for any valid moral judgment about that action.

Virtue theory is a branch of moral philosophy that emphasizes character, rather than rules or consequences, as the key element of ethical thinking.

Which of these best describes your position?

[Poll #1225625]

Comments

[ergotia.livejournal.com]

Who makes the rules?

[wildeabandon.livejournal.com]

Well, I think God, obviously, although I imagine that "love your neighbour as yourself" is a rule that atheists can get behind as well. (And actually, I think that the other rule I follow, "love God", is in many ways embodied extremely well by loving your neighbour.)